Compassion

Homosexuality is a fairly topical issue at the moment, because Australia is having a postal survey to see whether people are in favour of changing the Marriage Act to allow same sex couples to marry.

It got me thinking about Sodom and Gomorrah, what were they really destroyed for.  The situation there was covered in some detail in Genesis 18 and 19 in what seems an open and shut case for homosexuality.   But I looked at another passage.  Ezekiel 16 tells of Jerusalem as a faithless wife, an includes this reference to Sodom: 49Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. 50They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it.

I read this carefully, because this reminded me of the judgement scene in Matt 25: 31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,^f you did it to me.’

41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

 

Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of their complacency.  Because they ignored their responsibility to look after their vulnerable citizens, the poor and the needy even though they were rich and had plenty!  They had lost their compassion, and were selfish.  Don’t know about your country, that sounds very like Australia.  The rich get rich and the poor get poorer.  Don’t worry about the pensioners, who have worked all their lives.  Don’t worry about the people who have lost their jobs for what ever reason, and now do not have enough to live on.  The Government pays them a pittance, and there is no work to be had.  And big business rakes in record profits, and pay their bosses obscene wages. Not to mention the way refugees are treated.
This is the sort of thing Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for.  I hazard a guess nearly every other country on this earth is in a similar situation.  Society is wicked.  Life is cheap.  People are interested in easy money, cheap thrills, no depth to their thoughts.  They are self centred.  Sodom and Gomorrah deserved to be destroyed.  Do not we?

Have a look at how Jesus will judge the world when He comes in glory.  Is there mention there of which day people attend church?  Or even whether they attend church at all?  Of is Jesus looking for signs people are caring for each other, as they would if they were full of His love?  After all in John 13: ’ 34A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  The sign we are His followers is LOVE.

When He says I never knew you, He’s   talking about people who act like selfrighteous Pharisees.  Who think salvation is about what THEY do or don’t do, what THEY eat or don’t eat, what THEY wear or don’t wear, and so on.  He’s talking about people who have not accepted his invitation and listened to His Voice.  He’s talking about people who have put other people’s words as more important than His own (eg. Ellen white).  They are called cursed.

He’s talking about people who when they hear the pure and simple words of the Gospel add to them, building barriers for people, deceiving and deluding them.

When He says Come, you who are blessed of My Father, He is talking to those who love Him, and trust His promises, who believe His is the only Name through which we can be saved, and who love others, because He first loved us.  They then put that love into action, by caring for the unfortunate, the needy, the sick.  They are called righteous, because He is righteous.

I pray that everyone will think about which group they will end up in.  I pray that everyone will heed His  Voice and turn to Him.

And do His good works.